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Labour councillor suspended in Harrow after child porn arrest

Cllr. Brian Gate, has been suspended as a Labour councillor in Harrow and has resigned as Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Schools & Families following his arrest for
suspicion of possessing child pornography.

This takes place against a backdrop of service failures in the Council's Children’s Services with various damning reports coming out cataloguing how bad things have become.

An Ofsted report on safeguarding children said the council's services “require improvement”,   children are on protection plans “for too long without evidence that their circumstances are improving."  There was also poor management in the provision of health visitors and school nurses. 

Another report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation was highly critical of the Council's Youth Offending work. It said: “'Drastic improvement' needed in Harrow to protect public from young offenders."

The councillor now serving as temporary Portfolio Holder for Children, Schools & Families is Cllr. Mitzi Green, the same councillor who was in charge of Children’s Services until May 2012 when she was sacked and replaced by Cllr. Brian Gate. So Cllr. Green presided over the creation of this growing litany of failure.

Another Labour Councillor, Cllr. David Gawn, is standing trial at Harrow Crown Court for attempted theft of £7,000. He has also been suspended by the Labour Party.

Harrow won the Municipal Journal’s award for Best Achieving Council 2011.

The current Labour Leader, Cllr. Bill Stephenson is also standing down to genuine ill-health, so there is also a leadership battle going on inside Labour ranks. Many residents are dismayed by the cuts to  front line while money continues to be wasted.

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